Soft toe post with reinforcement

ABSTRACT

A footwear product includes an upper strap assembly coupled to a sole assembly using a toe post. The toe post includes a soft shell that is at least partially disposed over a reinforcement element.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No.61/554,825, which was filed on Nov. 2, 2011, the entirety of which isincorporated by reference herein.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used, in isolation, as an aid in determining the scope of the claimedsubject matter. At a high level, embodiments of the invention relate toa toe post having a soft shell and a reinforcement element. Otherembodiments of the invention relate to a footwear product having a toepost that includes a soft shell disposed over at least a portion of areinforcement element.

While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of thepresent invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following detailed description, which shows and describesillustrative embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings anddetailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature andnot restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in detail below with reference to theattached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a top plan view of a toe post in accordance with embodimentsof the invention;

FIG. 1B is a side elevation view of a toe post in accordance withembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a toe post and a reinforcementelement in accordance with embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 3A is a front perspective view of a footwear product in accordancewith embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 3B is bottom view of a footwear product in accordance withembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 3C is a perspective view of an interface between a toe post and anupper strap assembly in accordance with embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4A is a top view of a reinforcement-element mold in accordance withembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4B is a top view of a soft-shell mold in accordance withembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4C is a side view of a toe post showing pins for holding areinforcement element in place during molding in accordance withembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4D is an enlarged side view of a toe post showing a reinforcedregion of a reinforcement element in accordance with embodiments of theinvention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting a method of constructing a toe post inaccordance with embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart depicting a method of constructing a footwearproduct in accordance with embodiments of the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a top view of a mold having a reinforcement mold cavity and asoft-shell mold cavity in accordance with embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter of embodiments of the invention is described withspecificity to meet statutory requirements. However, the descriptionitself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, theinventors have contemplated that the claimed subject matter might alsobe embodied in other ways, to include different features or combinationsof features similar to the ones described in this document, inconjunction with other technologies. Moreover, although aspects ofmethods of constructing products according to embodiments of theinvention are described with reference to “blocks,” the term “block”should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among orbetween various aspects unless the order of individual aspects isexplicitly described.

Embodiments of the invention include a footwear product having a toepost that includes a soft shell and a reinforcement element. Thefootwear product can be a shoe, a sandal, or any other type of footwearproduct having a toe post. For example, in an embodiment, the footwearproduct can be a flip-flop type sandal in which a toe post is anchored,at one end, to a sole assembly and is attached to an upper strapassembly. Embodiments of the invention can include differentcombinations of the features and components described herein, additionalfeatures or components that are not described herein, and componentsmade from different materials or combinations of materials than thosedescribed herein. All such implementations are considered to be withinthe ambit of the invention.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show a toe post 10 in accordance with embodiments of theinvention. The toe post 10 includes an anchor 12 at one end of the toepost 10 that is configured for anchoring the toe post 10 to a soleassembly 42 of a footwear product 40 (as shown, e.g., in FIGS. 3A and3B). The toe post 10 also includes an attachment section 14 forattaching the toe post to an upper strap assembly 52 (also shown inFIGS. 3A and 3B). A shaft 16 extends between the anchor 12 and theattachment section 14.

The toe post 10 includes a soft shell 18 that is at least partiallydisposed over a reinforcement element 20. As shown in FIG. 2, thereinforcement element 20 includes an anchor portion 22 at one end, a finassembly 26 at the other end, and a shaft 24 extending between theanchor portion 22 and the fin assembly 26. The anchor portion 22includes a first surface 22 a oriented generally perpendicularly to theshaft 24 and a second, opposing surface 22 b, from which the shaft 24extends. As shown in FIG. 2, the anchor portion 22 of the reinforcementelement 20 also includes a third surface 22 c extending between thefirst and second surfaces 22 a and 22 b along the perimeter of theanchor portion 22, thereby defining a generally disc-shaped anchorportion 22. In other embodiments, the anchor portion 22 is generallycircularly shaped, oval shaped, triangularly shaped, square shaped, oranother shape.

As is also shown in FIG. 2, the fin assembly 26 includes a first fin 26a, a second fin 26 b, and an attachment interface surface 26 c. Theattachment interface surface 26 c is configured to be attached to anupper interface surface 54 a (see FIG. 3C) of an upper strap assembly52. In some embodiments, other portions of the reinforcement element 20can be configured for attachment to the upper strap assembly 52.Additionally, in other embodiments, the fin assembly 26 can be providedwith a convex shape (e.g., resembling a paddle), a circular shape, orany other shape. Any number of fins can be included in the fin assembly26 and can be configured according to any number of different shapes.According to various embodiments of the invention, the reinforcementelement 20 can be constructed of any number of various types of materialsuch as, for example, different types of nylon.

The soft shell 18 is disposed over at least a portion of thereinforcement element 20. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the softshell 18 includes an anchor-cover portion 30 that partially covers theanchor portion 22 of the reinforcement element 20. As shown, theanchor-cover portion 30 includes a first surface 30 a that engages thesecond surface 22 b of the anchor portion 22 of the reinforcementelement 20. The anchor-cover portion 30 also is generally disc-shaped,having a second, opposing surface 30 b and a third surface 30 c disposedbetween the first and second surfaces 30 a and 30 b along the perimeterof the anchor-cover portion 30. A shaft-cover portion 32 extends awayfrom the anchor-cover portion 30, covering the shaft portion 24 of thereinforcement element 20.

According to embodiments, the shaft-cover portion 32 extends between theanchor-cover portion 30 and a fin-assembly cover 34, as shown in FIG. 2.In some embodiments, the fin assembly 26 is left completely exposed. Inother embodiments, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 1A and 1B, theattachment interface surface 26 c of the fin assembly 26 is left atleast partially exposed via an aperture 36 in the fin-assembly cover 34,thereby providing an attachment-interface region 35.

The soft shell 18 can be constructed from any number of different typesof material that provide a soft interface between the toe post 10 andthe foot of a wearer (not shown). For example, in embodiments, the softshell 18 can be constructed using a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE)material. Examples of TPE materials include thermoplastic polyurethanes(TPUs), styrenic block copolymers, and the like. Embodiments of the toepost 10 described above can be utilized to couple a sole assembly 42 ofa footwear product 40 to an upper strap assembly 52, as shown in FIGS.3A, 3B, and 3C.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show a footwear product 40. The footwear product 40includes a sole assembly 42 having a forefoot portion 44, a heel portion46, a midfoot portion 48. In embodiments, the sole assembly 42 can bemade of any number of different materials or combinations of materials.In some embodiments, for example, the sole assembly 42 is molded from afoam material such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). In otherembodiments, the sole assembly is molded from rubber, while, in furtherembodiments, different portions of the sole assembly are constructedusing different materials.

An aperture 50 is defined through the forefoot portion 44 from a lowersurface 50 a of the sole assembly 42 to an upper surface 50 b of thesole assembly 42 and is sized to accommodate at least the shaft 16 ofthe toe post 10. The toe post 10 is coupled to the sole assembly 42 byinserting the toe post 10 through the aperture 50 such that an uppersurface 30 b of the anchor 12 engages the lower surface 50 a of the soleassembly 42 and at least a portion of the shaft 16 is disposed throughthe aperture 50.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3C, the footwear product 40 also includes anupper strap assembly 52. The upper strap assembly 52 includes a frontportion 54 having an upper interface surface 54 a. The upper strapassembly 52 also includes a first strap 56 and a second strap 58. Inembodiments, as shown, the first and second straps 56 and 58 areattached to the sole assembly 42 at respective mounting ends 60 and 62.In embodiments, the upper strap assembly 52 can be made of any number ofdifferent materials or combination of materials. In some embodiments,for example, the upper strap assembly 52 is molded from a foam materialsuch as EVA. In other embodiments, the sole assembly is constructedusing a TPE material.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C show a process for constructing a toe post 10 inaccordance with embodiments of the invention. The toe post 10 isconstructed by first creating a reinforcement element 20. FIG. 4A showsa mold half 100, which may be part of a two-part mold, for creating thereinforcement element 20. The reinforcement element 20 is created byinjecting a reinforcement-element material into an injection port 101 ofthe mold cavity 102. According to various embodiments, the reinforcementelement 20 can be constructed of any number of different types ofmaterials that provide strength to the toe post 10. In an embodiment,the reinforcement element 20 is made of a nylon material such as, forexample, Aquamid AV6 (polyamide 6), available from Aquafil® S.p.A. ofTrento, Italy. In other embodiments, the reinforcement element 20 can bemade of other types of nylon material or the like.

According to various embodiments, the reinforcement element 20 can bemolded according to any number of various shapes. Additionally, inembodiments, the reinforcement element 20 can be molded to includereinforced regions 103 (see, e.g., FIG. 4D), which are regions that aremolded to be thicker than surrounding regions. In this manner, thetensile strength of the reinforcement element 20 can be increased asdesired. After cooling, the reinforcement element 20 is removed from themold cavity 102. In some embodiments, the reinforcement element 20 isremoved from the mold cavity 102 when it has cooled sufficiently toallow for it to reach its final hardness, while, in other embodiments,the reinforcement element 20 is removed while it is still hardening.

FIG. 4B shows a mold 104 for creating the soft shell 18. Thereinforcement element 20 is placed within the cavity 106 of thesoft-shell mold 104. In some embodiments, the mold cavities 102 and 106can be defined in separate molds 100 and 104, respectively. In otherembodiments, the mold cavities 102 and 106 can be defined within asingle mold 107, as shown in FIG. 7. Additionally, it should be readilyappreciated that, because the soft shell 18 is configured to cover atleast a portion of the reinforcement element 20, the cavity 106 of thesoft-shell mold 104 is larger than the finished reinforcement element20, according to embodiments of the invention. In embodiments, thereinforcement element 20 is placed into the mold cavity 106 by hand,while, in other embodiments, the reinforcement element 20 isautomatically placed within the mold cavity 106 by a machine (notshown). In this manner, the toe post 10 can be constructed whileavoiding contamination of the reinforcement element 20 by oils depositedfrom an operator's skin. Automatic placement of the reinforcementelement 20 can provide for consistent orientation of the reinforcementelement 20 within the mold cavity 106, according to embodiments of theinvention.

After the reinforcement element 20 is placed within the cavity 106, asoft-shell material 107 is injected into the cavity 106, thereby forminga soft shell 18 that is disposed over at least a portion of thereinforcement element 20. According to various embodiments, the softshell 18 can be constructed of any number of different types ofmaterials that provide for a soft cover on the toe post 10, therebyimproving comfort to the wearer. In embodiments, the soft shell 18 ismade of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) material. Examples of TPEmaterials include thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) materials, styrenicblock copolymers, and the like. For instance, in an embodiment, thesoft-shell material is Megol® DP1741/30 SVPA (having a hardness of 34Sh/A), available from API® S.p.A., of Mussolente, Italy. In otherembodiments, the soft shell 18 can be made of other types of Megol®, TPEmaterial, TPU material, or the like.

In embodiments, the soft shell 18 is disposed over the entirereinforcement element 20, while, in other embodiments, the soft shell 18is disposed over a portion of the reinforcement element 20. Forinstance, in an embodiment, a portion 26 c of the reinforcement elementis left exposed to facilitate attachment to an upper interface surface54 a of an upper strap assembly 52. In some embodiments, the upper strapassembly 52 is constructed from a molded foam such as, for example, EVAand glue that is used in some embodiments to attach the toe post 10 tothe upper strap assembly 52 may not effectively adhere thermoplasticmaterial (e.g., TPE or TPU) to EVA. Accordingly, providing an attachmentinterface surface 26 c by leaving a portion of nylon exposed allows formore effectively adhering the toe post to the upper strap assembly 52,in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the toe post 10 can beadhered to the upper strap assembly 52 using other techniques such as,for example, welding, fusing, taping, clipping, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, pins 108 a, 108 b, 109 a, and 109 b areinserted into the mold cavity 106 to hold the reinforcement element 20in place during the injection molding of the soft shell 18. In someembodiments, the pins 108 a, 108 b, 109 a, and 109 b can be built intothe mold cavity 106. In this manner, a desired position of thereinforcement element 20 with respect to the soft shell 18 is maintainedduring the process of molding the soft shell 18. As shown, two sets 108and 109 of pins can be used. In the pictured embodiment, a first set 108of pins is disposed in a substantially perpendicular manner with respectto the fin assembly 26 of the reinforcement element 20 so that the pins108 a and 108 b of the first set 108 engage the fin assembly 26 on afirst side 110 thereof. A second set 109 of pins 109 a and 109 b also isdisposed in a substantially perpendicular manner with respect to the finassembly 26 of the reinforcement element 20 so that the pins 109 a and109 b of the second set 109 engage the fin assembly 26 on a second side111 thereof. In some embodiments, the pins can be oriented at an angle,rather than substantially perpendicularly with respect to the finassembly 26. In other embodiments, pins can be inserted in the moldcavity 106 such that the pins engage the shaft portion 24, the anchorportion 22, or any combination of portions of the reinforcement element20.

In embodiments, the two sets 108 and 109 of pins can be oriented suchthat the engaging ends 112 a and 112 b of the pins 108 a and 108 b lineup with the engaging ends 113 a and 113 b of the pins 109 a and 109 b.In other embodiments, the two sets 108 and 109 of pins can be offset intheir orientations with respect to one another. In still furtherembodiments, any other number of pins can be employed to maintain theposition of the reinforcement element 20 in the mold cavity 106. In someembodiments, as shown in FIG. 4C, the pins engage the fin assembly 26 byexerting force upon the surfaces 110 a and 111 a of the two sides 110and 111, respectively. In other embodiments, pins can be insertedthrough apertures in the fin assembly 26.

During injection of the soft-shell material, the portion of thesoft-shell material that contacts the reinforcement element 20 bonds tothe reinforcement element, thereby forming the toe post 10. Inembodiments, the bond between the soft shell 18 and the reinforcementelement 20 can be any type of bond such as, for example, a chemicalbond, a frictional bond, or the like. According to various embodiments,the materials, interface temperatures, cleanliness of the reinforcementelement 20, melt temperature of the soft-shell material, and interfaceareas (e.g., the amount of surface of each part 18 and 20 that contactone another) can be chosen to achieve a desired bond strength betweenthe reinforcement element 20 and the soft shell 18. For example, inembodiments, the soft shell 18 can be made of a soft thermoplasticelastomer material and the reinforcement element 20 can be made of anylon material. The chemical properties of these two types of materialsallow for chemical bonding between them. Additionally, nylon materialshave desirable properties for use as a reinforcement element 20 becausethey are resilient, have high elongation, and high elasticityproperties, while allowing for a strong bond with the thermoplasticmaterials. In various embodiments, however, other types of materials canbe utilized that provide a bonded interface between them and areinforced structure that has a soft outer shell.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting a method 500 of constructing a toe postin accordance with embodiments of the invention. For example, the method500 can be used to construct the toe post 10 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Afirst material is injected into a first mold cavity to create areinforcement element (block 510). The reinforcement element (e.g., thereinforcement element 20 shown in FIG. 2) includes an anchor portion, ashaft portion, and a fin assembly. In embodiments, the first materialincludes a nylon material such as, for example, a polyamide 6.

The reinforcement element is removed from the first mold cavity (block512) and is placed within a second mold cavity (block 514). In someembodiments, the reinforcement element is removed from the first moldcavity and placed in the second mold cavity by hand. In otherembodiments, the process is automated so that a machine removes thereinforcement element from the first mold cavity and places it in thesecond mold cavity. According to various embodiments, pins are used tohold the reinforcement element in a position in the second mold cavity.In some embodiments, the pins are oriented substantially perpendicularlywith respect to the fin assembly. In an embodiment, inserting the pinsincludes placing the pins such that an engagement end of each pinengages a surface of the fin assembly. In another embodiment, insertingthe pins includes placing the pins through corresponding aperturesdefined within the fin assembly.

A second material is injected into the second mold cavity to create asoft shell (block 516). According to various embodiments the soft shellis disposed over the entire reinforcement element, while, in otherembodiments, the soft shell is disposed over a portion of thereinforcement element. For instance, in an embodiment the soft shellincludes an aperture that exposes an attachment interface surface of thereinforcement element. In embodiments, the second material bonds to atleast a portion of the reinforcement element. For example, in anembodiment, the second material includes a thermoplastic elastomermaterial (e.g., a styrenic clock copolymer material) that chemicallybonds to a nylon material used to construct the reinforcement element.According to various embodiments, the constructed toe post can includeany number of other features or combinations of features, as well.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart depicting a method 600 of constructing a sandal inaccordance with embodiments of the invention. For example, the method600 can be used to construct the sandal 40 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Atoe post is created (block 610). According to various embodiments, thetoe post is created by injecting a first material such as, for example,nylon, into a first mold cavity to create a reinforcement element. Thereinforcement element is placed in a second mold cavity into which asecond material such as, for example, a TPE material, is injected. Thesecond material bonds to the first material, thereby creating a toe posthaving a soft shell that is disposed over at least a portion of areinforcement element. In embodiments, the toe post includes an anchorat a first end thereof, an attachment section, and a shaft disposedbetween the anchor and the attachment section.

The toe post is coupled to a sole assembly (block 612). In embodiments,the sole assembly can be made of any number of different materials orcombination of materials. In some embodiments, for example, the soleassembly is molded from a foam material such as EVA. In otherembodiments, the sole assembly is molded from rubber, while, in furtherembodiments, different portions of the sole assembly are constructedusing different materials. The sole assembly includes a forefoot portionand an aperture that is defined through the forefoot portion from alower surface of the sole assembly to an upper surface of the soleassembly. According to various embodiments, coupling the toe post to thesole assembly includes inserting the toe post through the aperture suchthat an upper surface of the anchor engages the lower surface, or aninner surface, of the sole assembly and at least a portion of the shaftis disposed through the aperture.

A front portion of an upper strap assembly is attached to an attachmentsection of the toe post (block 614). According to various embodiments,attaching the front portion of the upper strap assembly to theattachment section of the toe post includes gluing the front portion ofthe strap assembly to an attachment interface surface of thereinforcement element. In other embodiments, the upper strap assemblycan be attached to the toe post using fasteners, stitches, fusing,welding, adhesives, clips, or the like. Additionally, in someembodiments, the toe post and the upper strap assembly can beconstructed as a single, continuous part. In embodiments, the upperstrap assembly can be made of any number of different materials orcombination of materials. In some embodiments, for example, the upperstrap assembly is molded from a foam material such as EVA. In otherembodiments, the sole assembly is constructed using a TPE material.Embodiments of the invention also include attaching a rear portion ofthe upper strap assembly to the sole assembly, which can be achievedusing any number of different types of attachment mechanisms. The upperstrap assembly can be constructed according to any number of differentconfigurations and can include heel straps, and the like, so as tocreate different types of sandals, flip-flops, and other footwearproducts.

The present invention has been described in relation to particularembodiments, which are intended in all respects to be illustrativerather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art to which the present inventionpertains without departing from its scope. Certain features andsubcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference toother features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and iswithin the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A toe post, comprising: a reinforcement element,the reinforcement element comprising a first material; and a soft shelldisposed over at least a portion of the reinforcement element, the softshell comprising a second material different from the first material. 2.The toe post of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises nylon. 3.The toe post of claim 1, wherein the second material comprises athermoplastic elastomer material.
 4. The toe post of claim 3, whereinthe thermoplastic elastomer material comprises a styrenic blockcopolymer material.
 5. The toe post of claim 1, wherein the firstmaterial is bonded to the second material.
 6. The toe post of claim 1,further comprising an attachment interface of the reinforcement elementdefined by an aperture in the soft shell.
 7. A method of constructing atoe post, the method comprising: injecting a first material into a firstmold cavity to create a reinforcement element; removing thereinforcement element from the first mold cavity; placing thereinforcement element within a second mold cavity; and injecting asecond material into the second mold cavity to create a soft shell thatis disposed over at least a portion of the reinforcement element,wherein the second material bonds to at least a portion of an outsidesurface of the reinforcement element.
 8. The method of claim 7, whereinthe second mold cavity includes pins that hold the reinforcement elementin a position within the second mold cavity.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein the reinforcement element comprises a fin assembly and, whereininserting the pins comprises orienting the pins substantiallyperpendicularly to the fin assembly.
 10. The method of claim 9, whereininserting the pins comprises placing the pins such that an engagementend of each pin engages a surface of the fin assembly.
 11. The method ofclaim 9, wherein inserting the pins comprises placing the pins throughcorresponding apertures defined within the fin assembly.
 12. The methodof claim 7, wherein the second material bonds to a portion of an outsidesurface of the reinforcement element such that an attachment interfacesurface of the reinforcement element is exposed.
 13. The method of claim7, wherein the second material bonds to an entirety of the outsidesurface of the reinforcement element.
 14. The method of claim 7, whereinthe first material comprises nylon.
 15. The method of claim 7, whereinthe second material comprises a thermoplastic elastomer material. 16.The method of claim 15, wherein the thermoplastic elastomer materialcomprises a styrenic block copolymer material.
 17. A method ofconstructing a footwear product, the method comprising: creating a toepost, the toe post including a soft shell that is disposed over at leasta portion of a reinforcement element, wherein the toe post comprises ananchor at a first end thereof, an attachment section, and a shaftdisposed between the anchor and the attachment section; coupling the toepost to a sole assembly, the sole assembly having a forefoot portion andan aperture that is defined through the forefoot portion from a lowersurface of the sole assembly to an upper surface of the sole assembly,wherein coupling the toe post to the sole assembly comprises insertingthe toe post through the aperture such that an upper surface of theanchor engages the sole assembly and at least a portion of the shaft isdisposed through the aperture; and attaching a front portion of an upperstrap assembly to the attachment section of the toe post.
 18. The methodof claim 17, further comprising attaching a rear portion of an upperstrap assembly to the sole assembly.
 19. The method of claim 17, whereinthe attachment section of the toe post comprises an attachment interfacesurface of the reinforcement element.
 20. The method of claim 19,wherein attaching the front portion of the upper strap assembly to theattachment section of the toe post comprises adhering the front portionof the strap assembly to the attachment interface surface of thereinforcement element.